When Elkmont High School’s Quarterback Club couldn’t come up with the funds to purchase new football helmets or cheerleader uniforms, the Limestone County delegation stepped in to help.

The delegation, consisting of Sen. Tim Melson and Rep. Danny Crawford, gave the school $15,000 to purchase the equipment and uniforms for the students.

“That was huge because we weren’t going to be able to get new football helmets,” Elkmont High Quarterback Club president Heath Guthrie said. “With the pandemic, we weren’t able to have any fundraisers and worried about the gate (attendance) money being less.”

Guthrie contacted Crawford with his concerns, and Crawford said he and Melson would be more than happy to help.

“Heath contacted me and said their helmets were like 10 years old and had lost their certification,” Crawford said. “He didn’t know how they would be able to provide the equipment that’s needed. So I said ‘Let me talk with Sen. Melson.’ Elkmont is in his senatorial district as well as my house district, so we do a lot of projects together.”

Melson and Crawford were able to come up with $10,000 for helmets, and Guthrie said the school was able to purchase 31 helmets with the money.

“We suited up both the junior varsity and the varsity and some of the middle school players,” Guthrie said. “These donations are tremendous for Elkmont high and elementary.”

In addition to the helmets, Crawford and Melson gave $5,000 for cheerleader uniforms.

“I had never thought much about this, but it tugged on my heart when (Heath) told me cheerleaders go through tryouts, get selected and then some of them can’t afford their uniforms,” Crawford said. “It’s just a shame that even though they’re selected to cheer, they wouldn’t be able to because there are a lot of single-parent families and limited income people involved. They have a hard enough time financially and now they can’t go out and sell candy or do car washes because of the (coronavirus) restrictions.”

Guthrie said the school will recycle the uniforms each year, so girls hopefully won’t be deterred by the cost of being on the team and will try out.

“They have the smallest budget of just about anyone at the school,” Guthrie said of the cheerleading squad. “Elkmont is 56% free and reduced lunches, so a lot of kids don’t get the opportunity to play sports or cheer because they are expensive. These donations will help the kids be able to participate.”

Crawford said the funds came from TVA-in-lieu-of-taxes grant money, which each legislator in the Tennessee Valley service area has access to.

“It is a fund TVA sets up for the different communities so we can help out things like volunteer fire departments or schools, things like that,” Crawford said. “We do it for the City of Athens as well.”

Crawford and Melson were recognized at Elkmont’s homecoming a few weeks ago and were given gifts of appreciation for the donation to the school.

“We’ve been very happy with the support Elkmont has gotten,” Guthrie said. “Tim Melson made a great comment (at homecoming) that there’s not many communities like Elkmont left. Elkmont is a little piece of Americana.”